1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to image mapping in browser software. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method and apparatus for integrating dynamic video images with Hypertext Markup Language ("HTML") data.
2. Description of the Related Art
Data transmission over the internet is increasingly more prevalent. In particular, transmission of still image data over the internet has been on a sharp rise over the past few years. Generally, such images are produced by scanning a "hard" copy of the image into electronic form with a conventional scanner, or they are generated from a computer terminal using conventional graphics programs.
When an image is transmitted over the internet from a server computer to a client computer, conventional internet world wide web ("web") publishing software provides facilities for configuring an image map for a user to define a specific region of the image to which a Uniform Resource Locator ("URL") can be attached. The URL to the specific image region in turn allows the user, through the web browser to link, or otherwise jump to that internet location ("web site") generally containing more information related to the specific portion of the image data to which the URL is attached. In effect, the image region acts as a "button" that links a user, upon selection of that image region, to a URL that is linked to that image region.
As previously discussed, an image can be subdivided into distinct regions which are further configured such that each distinct region is linked to a different document.
Two conventional methods of implementing image maps employing either a server-side image map or client-side image map exist.
With server-side image maps, when the user selects an image region that has been mapped, the browser sends the x,y coordinates of the selection (for example, a mouse pointer location) to a script executing on the server computer.
With client-side image maps (for example, supported by browsers such as Netscape Navigator Versions 2.0 and 3.0), the association of links with specific regions in an image is handled by the browser itself executing on the client computer rather than by a server script. This enables a web publisher to include image maps in a desired Hypertext Markup Language ("HTML"), a computer language that enables interpretation and presentation of text as well as multimedia-based information among computer networks. Similar to server-side image maps, pixel coordinates are assigned URL addresses in client-side image maps.
Additionally, combined client/server image map software may be provided that handles client-side image maps, but automatically switches to server-side image maps if a particular browser does not support client-side image maps.
FIG. 1 shows a conventional still image retrievable by a web browser. As shown, a still image 106 is divided into four segments (shown by the dotted lines). The portion of the still image 106 that falls within each of the corresponding one of four segments can be identified by the various coordinates 101, 102, 103 and 104 corresponding to each of the four segments of the image. Each of the four coordinates 101, 102, 103 and 104 combined with a shared coordinate 105 are collectively stored in a map file. Then, a portion of the map file corresponding to each of the four image segments is configured to correspond to a unique URL, whereby selection by the user of an image region (by clicking on any of the four segments of the still image) causes the display to change to a new location linked to the URL pointed to by the portion of the map file that corresponds to the selected image region.
The above described approach is limited to image mapping of a still, static image. On the other hand, image transmission over the internet has rapidly moved from transmission and reception of still images to transmission and reception of dynamic, video images or programs for live, real-time display and/or non-live, pre-stored display.
In view of the foregoing, it would be desirable to have a method of mapping dynamic video images or programs including live, non-live, real-time, or pre-stored video images or programs to support URL address links.